St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-18
SPARKS MAY RETIRE.
An Issue Will be Made Between
Him and Lamar and the Presi-
dent Will Sustain the Latter.

An Issue Will be Made Between
Him and Lamar and the Presi-
dent Will Sustain the Latter.
Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17.-Gentlemen
who know him personally, admire Com
missioner Sparks. The abused and viii
lifted defender of the rights of the set
tiers, as he sees them, is genial gen
tleman, and big hearted man. He is
clear headed, industrious, honest, sim
cere, implacable when aroused But he
is human. His errors have been COM
paratively few, when the vast number
of cases handled by him are considered:
but he has not been infallible. Wherein
he has been miSled by SubordinateS, or
tatiOn of the laws, he has undoubtedly
been guilty only of errors of the head,
and not Of the heart. in brief, there
may be better educated, better quail
fed, better understood men in the pub
lie service, but there are none more
honest. William A. j. Sparks is man
of whom his enemies can say nothing
than that they differed with him, and
that he was possibly wrong. There is
no doubt that the frauds which were
perpetrated upon the public domain,
under the administration of the Repub-
Hcan party for many years,
WERE GIGANTIC, UNUTTERABLY BASE.
Commissioner Sparks was not long in
Office before the evidences of fraudulent
entries and timber culture depredations
became apparent at every turn and on
every hand. The enormity of the crimes
which were being perpetrated not only
aStOnlShed the new commissioner, but
they angered him and made his blood
fairly boil with righteous indignations.
He struck at the robbers right and left.
He clave them to the middle and his
blade entered every weak Joint of their
harness. They moaned, grOaned. cursed,
swore, gritted and CRASHED their teeth
at him in impotent rage. But, backed
by a president with an adamantine back
bone, he pursued the even tenor of his
way, checkmating them at every step.
That they hated him is true; that they
led to officially cruelty him, is but nat
al; that they assaulted his character
and reputation is as might have been
expected. There is possibility of his
official demise. 1t is possible that he
will soon cease to be commissioner of
the general land Office. There is a
probability that the end of his official
career is near at hand. Honest men will
regret it, even though they differ with
Mr.. Sparks in much of his policy, for
they know he is honest and incorrupti-
BILE. The fact is
SPARKS IS TERRIBLY IN EARNEST
in the matter Of the recent decision of
the secretary concerning the case of the
Chicago, st. Paul, Minneapolis 81
Omaha railroad indemnity lands.
Either he is radically wrong, and has
been in all his conduct of the land office,
or else Mr.. Damar has been misled into
making dangerously erroneous decis-
ion. Millions of acres of the public do
main are involved. Unfortunately Mr..
Sparks has not only expressed his cha
grin concerning this important decision
in conversation, but he has officially
given out his dissatisfaction through
The medium of his annual report. More
over, he has prepared a letter asking
for review of the decision by the sec
rotary, and, forgetting his usual pru-
dence in such matters, he has permitted
the fact of the preparation of his letter
to be given to the public. These things
have excited feeling of hostility in the
mind of Secretary Lamar, and it is not
to be expected that he will grant a re-
view of the case unless there are pre-
sented to him the strongest possible ar
gumentS to demonstrate that he
has been misled or mistaken in his
decision as promulgated. Besides, it
Is believed that, rather than reverse
the decision, which is supposed to
represent great deal of thought and
consideration on the part of Mr.. Lamar,
the secretary will ask the appointment
of more congenial person to be COM
sioner. 1t is well known that Mr..
Lamar stands very close to the admins
tration, and that Mr.. Cleveland has
such high regard for his opinions and
beliefs chat he will be more than likely
to act upon any recommendation that
he might make. AS matters now stand.
1t certainly does look as though there